A few more freebies that might interest local residents...

Social Security Planning Workshops at Ridley Township Library 

  Shane Couturier, a member of the Financial Awareness Foundation, will present two Social Security Planning Workshops at Ridley Township Public Library on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 2:15 pm and 6 pm in the Lower Level Meeting Room. Registration is required for both sessions.
   Topics to be explored include when to apply for benefits, how Social Security is calculated, how to coordinate spousal benefits, and Social Security tax ramifications.
  Couturier is a retirement and estate planning specialist in Bryn Mawr. He educates others on the importance of financial planning, and the steps necessary to meet the goals of the individual. The Financial Awareness Foundation is dedicated to improving financial awareness and literacy. Register by calling 610-583-0593, emailingreference@ridleylibrary.org, or stopping at the library, 100 E. MacDade Blvd., Folsom.

Schoolhouse Center has some free courses
  Schoolhouse Center in Folsom will offer a free hands-on demo mosaics course 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Sept. 17 at the Center, 600 Swarthmore Ave., Folsom. Students new to mosaics can learn more about the art that "encourages you to break things."
  The Center will also offer a free class entitled "Healthy Steps in Motion" every Tues. and Thurs. at 10:15 am. The light aerobic conditioning class will include work with weights and bands.
  Additionally, Schoolhouse holds FREE classes in woodcarving 12-2 pm Mondays, FREE craft classes 8:30 am to 11 every Tuesday and Wednesday and FREE "Sit and Get Fit" classes 10-11 am Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  Schoolhouse has a FREE Health Fair planned for 9 am to 1 pm Oct. 17. Screenings, health information and giveaways will be part of the day. Everyone is welcome. Glenolden Walgreens will be administering flu shots.
  For information or to register for any of these classes, call the Center at 610-237-8100.

Free Tour at Scott Arboretum
Date & Time:                   Tuesday, September 16, 5 to 6:30 pm
Cost:                                 Free & open to the public
Location:                          Scott Arboretum Gardens
Special Notes:                  Tour leaves from Scott Arboretum offices.
                                          Tour canceled in inclement weather.
Learn about the inner workings, benefits, and beauty of green roofs while exploring the three we have at the Arboretum. Please note the level of difficulty on these tours is higher than others we offer; a brisk walk and several steps are required to reach the final roof. Children under the age of 12 are not permitted on the roofs.
The tour will begin at the Scott Arboretum offices and is free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be canceled. For more information, please call the Scott Arboretum offices at 610-328-8025.
The Scott Arboretum is an educational garden of ideas and suggestions. Covering more than 300 acres of the Swarthmore College Campus and exhibiting over 4,000 different kinds of plants, the Arboretum displays some of the best trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals for use in the Delaware Valley. Established in 1929 as a living memorial to Arthur Hoyt Scott, the Arboretum is open to the public year-round free of charge, from dawn to dusk. Adam Levine of Garden Design magazine described the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College as "the most beautiful campus in America." Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the Arboretum Offices at 610-328-8025. Visit us at www.scottarboretum.org.

Free legal advice offered by Philadelphia Bar Association

   The Philadelphia Bar Association will offer free legal advice to residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties on Wednesday, September 20, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.  Members of the public can access the service by calling the Association’s LegalLine P.M. hotline at (215) 238-6333.
 Area residents seeking confidential legal advice will be able to speak for free with a volunteer attorney from the Philadelphia Bar Association.  Attorneys are available to offer information about any aspect of the law including family law, landlord-tenant, workers’ compensation and employment law, among other topics.
LegalLine P.M. is a public service sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association, providing residents with free, quick and accurate legal advice during convenient evening hours.  LegalLine P.M. is offered on the third Wednesday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m.  The program has existed for nearly 20 years, allowing volunteer attorneys to help thousands of callers through direct service or by referring them to an appropriate source.
In addition, during regular work hours, the Philadelphia Bar Association offers another program -- the Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) -- which provides lawyer referrals to area residents.  Staff attorneys take calls from the general public and refer callers to attorneys in private practice for a 30-minute consultation, for which the attorney agrees to charge a drastically reduced fee of $35.
If callers do not need an attorney or cannot afford one, they will be directed to a legal service organization, agency or other resource for assistance.  LRIS is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling (215) 238-6333.
Founded in 1802, the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association is the oldest association of lawyers in the United States.

Botanical Art Exhibit at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens
On October 3 - 26 (9am  - 4pm) the public is invited to the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Artists (PSBI) exhibition at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens. Admission to both the exhibition and the gardens is free.
Viewers of the exhibit will be “drawn to the details” in each of the paintings. The carefully executed work appeals to all ages. In the last PSBI exhibition at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens the comments of visitors ranged from “The detail is amazing“ and “Incredible detail! [It] shows that in nature, beauty exists” to “I loved seeing the root system as well as flowers. Just beautiful!”
The artwork has been executed by the over 75 members of PSBI, a Philadelphia organization. Its purpose is “to educate, to celebrate the artistic development of our members, to provide an opportunity to exhibit together, and to bring Botanical Illustration to the attention of many audiences.”
To that end, PSBI provides free art classes for Philadelphia public school children as well as sponsoring many exhibits of botanical art including one at the Philadelphia Flower Show. This is the second year that PSBI has exhibited at Jenkins.
Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens prides itself on providing “a tranquil, natural setting in a densely populated residential and commercial area.” It has over a mile of paved walkways that meander through native woodlands with labeled trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. It is indeed an oasis in a busy world and an inspiration to botanical artists.
For more information, contact Sarah Maxwell at the PSBI (smaxwell@fordham.edu 267-639-6053) or Janet Bauman at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens (janet@jenkinsarboretum.org 610-647-8870 ext. 152).

Parkside Community Day Saturday
   Parkside Borough will hold its annual Community Day for residents noon to 4p.m, Saturday (Sept. 13) on the grounds of Parkside Elementary School on Edgmont Ave.
Events will include free musical entertainment, games, relay races, balloon toss, Moonbounces, face painting, three-legged races, a duck pond, food and a baking contest.

Delco SCORE Offers Basic Bookkeeping Seminar

  Free bookkeeping seminar available

 Delaware County SCORE, Brinker Simpson & Company CPAs, and Paychex will offer a seminar presenting the basic bookkeeping and record keeping concepts that a small business owner needs to master 8 to 10a.m., Thursday (Sept. 18) at Pescatore’s Restaurant, 1810 Wilmington West Chester Pike (Rte. 202), Glen Mills.

In this workshop, practical advice and simple examples will help the businessperson set up the best practices for his/her business before problems are encountered. An introduction to basic accounting principles and financial statements will provide the foundation for the owner to manage the business for successful financial performance. Discussion of good record keeping practices, business taxes, and systems and software options will help guide the business owner in establishing effective operating procedures.

The second part of the seminar deals with employees and payroll. Proper categorization of employees and independent contractors is covered. Good hiring practices will be outlined and employee documentation explained.

Sign-in begins at 7:30a.m. and a continental breakfast will be available. There is no charge for the seminar, but advance registration is required at delawarecounty.score.org/local events.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, or to request free counseling from a SCORE volunteer, call 610-344-6910 or delawarecounty.score.org.